STATE WIPES OUT CATTLE DISEASE

LIVESTOCK farmers in North-Western Province can now breathe a sigh of relief following successful wiping out of the foot and mouth disease.

Foot and mouth disease, a severe, highly contagious viral disease of livestock with significant economic impact which affects cattle and swine as well as sheep, goats, and other clovenhoofed ruminants, had broken out in Chavuma, Zambezi and Kabompo districts of the Province.

Provincial Veterinary officer, Dr Peter Banda, confirmed the development in an interview with the Daily Nation.

Dr Banda explained that about 20,000 herds of cattle were vaccinated during the first round of the exercise.

He said an additional consignment of about 20,000 doses of the foot and mouth disease had been dispatched in all the three affected districts.

The whole essence was to create a buffer zone by vaccinating animals which were not affected so that they developed immunity.

“This round of vaccination finished in the first week of November last year and I can safely say we have managed to contain the disease,” Dr Banda said.

He revealed that an extra consignment of doses of about 20,000 had been received for a booster to the same animals that were vaccinated so that they could develop a stable immunity towards the disease in case it reoccurs.

“We are just waiting for resources which we should be receiving any time from now and go back and re-vaccinate the same animals in the same buffer zone,” he said.